Where Do We Go From Here?
by There-You-Are
Summary: My first fanfic. One Shot. Set in New York. This is the story of Kagome and Inuyasha meeting up again 20 years after a painful parting. Can they put the past behind them or will old grudges hold out?


**C: Ahh, my first fanfic. I'm so proud…anyway a quick disclaimer. I do not own Inuyasha or any of his compatriots. I wish I did, but what are ya gonna do?**

**P.S- Lyrics by Gwen Stefani**

_And after all the obstacles_

_It's good to see you now with someone else_

_And it's such a miracle that you and me are still good friends_

_After all that we've been through_

_I know we're cool_

_I know we're cool_

Kagome leaned back in her chair as she sipped her latte. She viewed the Manhattan landscape from her seat in the café, with a contemplative eye. She often wondered in these past twenty years if she had made the right decision in coming to the states. Generally the answer she always came up with was yes, but recently she wondered if maybe she had just been running from a past she didn't want to face. She sighed and put her latte down._ If I'm really truthful with myself, I know that I was running from him. Still, I'm happy here, and if I hadn't come, I would have never met Ryu. _Kagome smiled at the thought of her husband. They had met in her English class. They had an instant rapport, that soon turned into chemistry, that turned into love. _I can't believe our ten year anniversary is coming up. How time flies! I didn't realize it's really been that long. Maybe I should plan a trip back home. I haven't seen my family since the wedding. Besides, it's high time I go back and face my demons. Literally. _Kagome lifted her purse and began to rustle through it, looking for her cell phone. If she was to plan a trip home, she would have to start now._ Now, where the hell is that cell phone?_ She continued to look through her purse, when she noticed a shadow looming over her. She was about to tell him to scram, when a voice shook her to her very core.

"Kagome Higarashi, is that really you?"

Kagome looked up, expecting to see her past, in living color. What she saw was a man, around her age, with black shoulderlength pulled back into a ponytail. He had light brown eyes, and a familiar smile.

"Actually, that's my maiden name. I'm Kagome Yasui now. Do I know you?" Kagome asked, curiously. The man smiled again. A smile that seemed to reside in the back of Kagome's mind.

"Perhaps this will remind you," the man said as he reached for his eye. He took a contact lens out, a colored contact lens apparently. Suddenly Kagome found herself looking into a very golden eye. She gaped at the man as he put the contact back in.

"Inuyasha, is that you?" she whispered in shock.

"Right on the money as always. Mind if I sit down?" Inuyasha said with a smirk, as he took a seat at Kagome's table. Kagome continued to look at him, her mouth hanging open. "Close your mouth. Didn't your mother teach you it's rude to look like a fish?" Inuyasha said. Kagome closed her mouth and gave him an affronted look.

"Well, it's just a shock to see you after all these years! You look completely different," Kagome exclaimed.

"The miracle of hair dye and contact lenses. How you've been doing? I haven't talked to you since that day," Inuyasha inquired, a hint of heaviness in his voice. He remembered that day well.

"I know. That day was a long time ago, wasn't it?" Kagome said softly, looking at her lap.

"It was,"

"I know I shouldn't have ran away like that, but I was just so angry." Kagome explained.

"I know. I've never been too proud of myself, doing what I did. You had every right to run. Hell, I didn't even come after you," Inuyasha said ruefully, wringing his hands. "I was an ass. I didn't want to end it that way,".

"Then why did you sleep with her?" Kagome asked tensely.

"I…I don't know why I did. I guess I was trying to see if I really loved Kikyou like that. I thought it would end the conflict in my head. I was stupid. Please forgive me," Inuyasha entreated. Kagome looked into his now brown eyes and saw what she had been looking for all those years. True remorse over his deeds. She smiled.

"It was a long time ago. We're friends now, so it's all forgiven," Kagome said. Inuyasha smiled in relief.

"I'm glad. So…your married?" Inuyasha asked slyly.

"Yes, to a wonderful man named Ryu. We've been married for ten years now," Kagome said with a radiant smile. "What about you? Are you married? How's Kikyou these days anyway?"

"No, I'm not married. I haven't seen Kikyou in ages, but the last time I heard about her she was one of the top divorce lawyers in Chicago. They say she's a real ice queen in the court room," Inuyasha replied.

"How did you hear that?" Kagome asked

"She sort of married my brother," Inuyasha said gruffly. Kagome laughed.

"How on earth did that happen" she chuckled.

"Well, after that night Kikyou started to travel with us, much to everyone's else disappointment. You wouldn't believe the hell I caught from the rest of the group,"

"I'm sure you deserved it."

"I did. But anyway, after about six months of traveling together we had an encounter with Sesshoumaru. It was the usual thing. He wanted my sword, I wouldn't give it to him…I once asked a psychologist about it and he said that we both had sibling rivalry rooted to the need to impress our father. Go figure. Apparently Kikyou found my brother to be more of her kind of man and up and left me with Sesshoumaru when he was done bitching. I think they got married in Japan about three hundred years ago," Inuyasha explained.

"That's a bit surprising. I can't believe that Kikyou would go after a cold fish like your brother," Kagome commented, taking a sip of her latte.

"Kikyou's pretty cold herself. Besides, Sesshomaru has changed since then. He's much kinder, but still sullen. I think he's teaching these days," Inuyasha said.

"Teaching! You have got to be kidding me," Kagome exclaimed

"Nope! He teaches martial arts and swordplay as an elective at NYU. They say he's one hell of a tough teacher," Inuyasha said mischievously.

"Huh! So I guess you and Sesshoumaru are getting along these day?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah, we had it out right before his wedding. We decided to bury the hatchet, and try to get along. We're still not best friends, but at least we're not trying to kill each other. Even if we did want to, we couldn't. Not in this day and age," Inuyasha said as he leaned back into his seat.

"That's good," Kagome sat silently for a moment. "Tell me about the others. I want to know what happened to them," She asked.

"Are you sure you want to know Kagome? I mean, they're not really around anymore. Do you really need to know?" Inuyasha asked.

"Tell me,"

Inuyasha sighed.

"Shippo was heartbroken when you left. He was never the same afterwards. Kikyou wasn't very nice to him while she was with us, and Shippo took her cruel comments to heart. When he was about fifteen, he went on a rampage and tried to destroy a village we were visiting. We all tried to stop him. Miroku tried to stop him forcefully. They both got sucked into the wind tunnel," Inuyasha glanced at Kagome. She remained silent, but there were tears in her eyes. "Sango survived, but after Miroku died, she lost her spirit. She eventually agreed to marry Kuranosuke. I don't know what happened to her after that," Inuyasha explained mournfully. Kagome cried openly. She gratefully took the tissue that Inuyasha offered her.

"What about Naraku? Please tell me he's dead." Kagome said, her voice thick with tears.

"No one knows exactly how, but Kagura killed him. He's been dead for a long time," Inuyasha said with great satisfaction.

"Good," Kagome exclaimed harshly. Inuyasha looked at her in surprise. "I'm just so angry with myself! I shouldn't of left. It's my fault they died. All because I had to act like a stupid child," Kagome cried. Inuyasha took her hands.

"Don't ever say that. I was the one who drove you away. Blame me if you need to blame anyone. Please stop crying Kagome, I hate to see you cry. They would want you to be happy," Inuyasha said soberly. Kagome only nodded and slowly began to stop her tears. She gave him a weak smile.

"I know. I just needed to cry once. For them," she said, wiping her eyes. They both sat silently for a moment, then Kagome gave a slightly bigger smile.

" You still haven't answered my original question. What's going on with your life? Do you have a special girl? One who can put up with your nonsense, I hope,"

Inuyasha returned the smile.

" Well, I have a loving boyfriend, but I can't marry him. Yet. Yes I'm gay. Before you even ask, I figured it out after I slept with Kikyou. It felt yucky." Inuyasha said with a crinkled nose as Kagome gaped at him again. Then she laughed. Loudly.

"That certainly explains some things! I always wondered why you never wanted to kiss me, or why you were so fixated on Miroku's ass," Kagome exclaimed, laughing harder. Inuyasha blushed

"I just thought he was cute, that's all…" he trailed off. Kagome went into gales of laughter. Inuyasha just growled.

"So, what are you doing career-wise? You can't still be killing demons," Kagome asked after she calmed down.

"I'm actually an artist. Mostly traditional Japanese art, but I've done some modern stuff too. My mother was an artist, so I'm just following in her footsteps. How about you? What are you doing these days?" Inuyasha responded, only slightly indignant.

"I actually make manga's these days. Under a different name of course, but they've become quite popular. I'm surprised you haven't heard of them." Kagome said

"What are they called?" Inuyasha asked

"Inuyasha, of course"

"What? You made a manga about me?" Inuyasha gasped.

"No, I wrote about what happened to me when I was fifteen. Some of it is made up, but for the most part, it's exactly how it happened. How could you have never heard of it? I mean, someone should have mention the name similarity by now," Kagome asked.

"I'm mostly holed up in my studio or the gallery, and I changed my name when I came to the states. I go by Ikuya now," Inuyasha explained.

" 'Civilized', I like it. But not once have you seen the manga, the TV show, the movies, the posters, the toys, or the video games? That's a little hard to believe," Kagome said.

"What can I say, neither me or my lover have much interest in the outside world. He's an artist too, a sculptor," Inuyasha explained.

"What's his name?"

"Haru," Inuyasha said, smiling tenderly.

"He sounds sweet. I hope I get to meet him someday. Does he know about your demon status?" Kagome asked.

"Yes, he's a demon too. I met him before I left Japan,"

"Speaking of demon, how do you hide your dog ears? I've been wondering that," Kagome inquired. Inuyasha pulled out a talisman from under his shirt.

"Glamour spell. The only bit of the old world I have left," Inuyasha said as he put the talisman back. "Kaede made it for me,"

"I miss the old woman," Kagome said

"So do I. She was the closest thing I ever had to a grandmother," Inuyasha said. Both of them remained silent, listening to the sounds of the roads and a faint 'fuck you' in the distance.

"Listen Inuyasha, I'm about to be late for a meeting with my American publisher. I'm afraid I'm going to have to go. Perhaps I'll see you again?" Kagome said as she got up. Inuyasha stood as well.

"Definitely. I'm off to my gallery right now, but here's my email address. Make sure you write me. I want you to meet Haru," Inuyasha said as he scribbled down a email address on a napkin and handed it to Kagome. "I'm glad we're friends again, Kagome. It was my one regret in life, the way we parted."

"I'm glad too Inuyasha," Kagome responded, as she gave him a hug goodbye. She waved as she walked away, feeling lighthearted. _It took twenty years, but the air's finally been cleared. I didn't even have to go home to do it. Still, I'm still going to visit my family._ Kagome began rummaging through her purse again, looking for her cell phone. She had a lot of calls to make.

**C: Tell me what you think! I may create more from this piece in a spinoff fashion, but only if I get reviews. So go on…review like the wind!**


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